What I am Currently Reading

This month I read one of those books where I kept stopping and asking my husband, “Did you know this, or did you know that?” The book was a recommendation from Bill Gate’s reading list. Bill Gates regularly publishes his recommended reads, and I have gotten some great books from that list including this month’s book, “Why We Sleep”. “Why We Sleep” is a fairly new book already on the bestseller list, and it isn’t hard to see why. This book goes into deep explanation of how it is we actually go to sleep and the health benefits received from a proper night of zzzzs. On the surface this might not sound very interesting, but I assure you the book is so much more. What I am currently reading will give you a brand-new appreciation for sleep as well as a desire to change your own habits.

For those who might worry the book is too complex and boring the author is sensitive to his audience because he is clearly writing for the general public. He has a strong passion for wanting to make people aware of the sleep crisis worldwide, and its devastating long-term effects. New studies are revealing more and more about sleep and its role in our health. There is so much I didn’t realize in this book. I am truly thankful for the information and look at sleep health in a whole new way. Below I have highlighted some of the key takeaways from the book.

Things I took away from what I am currently reading:

-The lack of sleep crisis is real and is worldwide.

-7 hours of sleep is not enough.

-You can’t “make up” sleep later on the weekend.

-The role of sleep in infants is critical and has long term consequences in brain development.

-New studies are pointing to a possible connection between sleep quality and autism, adhd, dementia, schizophrenia, and alzheimers.

-Sleep refines and shapes the brain in adolescence to improve cognitive skills, reasoning, and critical thinking and deep sleep may be key to brain maturation. Lack of sleep significantly impacts this. Furthermore, the circadian code of an adolescent shows an important need for later wake up times.

-What exactly are sleep spindles, how they impact our ability to learn, and remember and how they cleanse the brain.

-Poor sleep is a characteristic of all major psychiatric conditions, but the new question is whether it’s the symptom or part of the cause?

-Why sleeping pills are not a good choice. In fact, you are 4.6 times more likely to die and 30-40% more likely to develop cancer. Sleep therapy is a much better choice and talked about in this book.

-Contrary to popular belief the better rested the workers the more productive and successful they are earning higher wages. Not only this, but Mega companies such as Nike and Google recognize this which is why they have set up their corporate culture to make sure their employees get their rest- it’s better for their bottom line.

-A lack of sleep will kill you.

-A lack of NREM sleep will also kill you.

-The type of light we use as well as body temperature affects quality of sleep significantly.

-And most important, why we as a culture need to embrace quality sleep and change cultural practices that are anti-sleep. Contrary to popular belief, less sleep does not equal better productivity and studies clearly show this.

One thing you can expect is that the discussion of sleep quality is going to grow stronger. Knowledge in this area is growing and the time to undo 100+ years of bad habits is coming. We are going to have to rethink our children’s sleep needs and its priority in healthy development. Additionally, schools and workplaces will face the growing need to do away with our current mentality towards sleep as a luxury-for all of our good. I guarantee you will have a profound new appreciation for sleep once you read this book!

Check back monthly for what I am currently reading for more book recommendations! Here is another great book recommendation on sleep and the circadian rhythm. And for tips on sleeping better read this article here.